ViewSonic announces Android ViewPads

ViewSonic announces a 7-inch and 10-inch Android tablet under their ViewPad brand. The 7-inch model is due out in November, running Android 2.2, awhile the dual-boot ViewPad 10 will make its way out early 2011, running Android 1.6 and Windows 7.

The dual-booting ViewPad 10 is one of two tablets announced by ViewSonic.
ViewSonic

If you're still not satisfied with the selection of Android tablet options on the market (well, aren't we picky?) the fine folks at ViewSonic are throwing two more options into the ring.

The first is a 7-inch Android 2.2 tablet with the fitting name of ViewPad 7. Due out in late November, priced at $479, the ViewPad 7 runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor with 512Mb of integrated memory and a microSD slot for your own supply. The device pulls the Internet down over Wi-Fi (b/g), but includes 3G capabilities if you want to supply your own SIM (or if a carrier wants to pick it up at some point). The capacitive, multitouch screen is set at a mediocre resolution of 800x480 pixels (surprising, coming from a display company), and is complemented by a rear-facing 3-megapixel camera, and front-facing 0.3-megapixel camera. Of course, we'll reserve judgment until we get to play with the product ourselves, but there's something to be said for a sub-$500 Android 2.2 tablet with no contract and Google Market compatibility. Also, a 10-hour rated battery life doesn't sound too shabby.

The second tablet from ViewSonic is the ViewPad 10 (pictured above), which is due out in early 2011 for $629. As you've likely put together, it uses a 10.1-inch screen. The screen is LED backlit with a 1024x600-pixel resolution, similar to the iPad's. It's a dual-boot tablet that can jump between Windows 7 Home Premium and Android 1.6.

Of course, by 2011, Android 1.6 is going to feel like the Old Testament (no Market support, either)--so you probably won't be jumping out of Windows 7 too much. Under the hood you've got a 1.66GHz Intel Atom processor, with 1GB of integrated memory, a 16GB SSD drive, and a microSD expansion slot. Like the ViewPad 7, the screen is both capacitive and multitouch. A 1.3 megapixel front-facing cam is there for video chat.

About the author

Donald Bell has spent more than five years as a CNET senior editor, reviewing everything from MP3 players to the first three generations of the Apple iPad. He currently devotes his time to producing How To content for CNET, as well as weekly episodes of CNET's Top 5 video series.
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